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Home insurance could save the day this school holiday

10 July 2008 / by Rebecca Sargent

Home contents insurance could be more than a precaution this school holiday, as new research from Sheilas' Wheels home insurance reveals that kids cause £0.5billion worth of damage to electronic gadgets in UK homes.

The research shows that 25 per cent of children have broken or damaged a piece of electrical equipment in their home. And, as a result, parents have had to fork out an estimated £553million each year to repair or replace the items.

The study also revealed that the average child causes around £183 worth of damage to equipment including laptops and digital cameras. Consequently, one in five of the parents surveyed admitted to having claimed on their home insurance for the damage caused by their kids.

According to Sheilas' Wheels, its research demonstrates a need for parents to ensure they have adequate home and contents insurance cover to avoid being faced with a hefty bill. However, almost a quarter of those polled confessed they would make their child pay for the damage by way of punishment.

An irresponsible 17 per cent could be left footing the bill as this is the percentage of people polled who admitted to not having any home insurance.

Jacky Brown, spokesperson for Sheilas' Wheels home insurance, said: "School holidays are a prime time for breakages as bored kids can wreak havoc at home – potentially causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage.

"That is why accidental damage is so important for families. If the Wii controller slips out of your hand or juice gets spilt down the TV there won't be a hefty bill to repair the damage or buy a replacement."

However, damage could be averted by taking small precautions such as storing DVD players in lockable units and clearing a space in the living room so damage will not be caused by games consoles like the Wii, according to Sheilas' Wheels home insurance.